With more people at home these days, police are warning of an escalating phone scam in which callers claim to be from the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) to try and scam you for your money.

The conmen makes a pitch that you can obtain a green rebate for purchasing COVID-19 relief.

The OPP have received more than 710 complaints about energy scams this year from across Ontario.

In most cases, a homeowner is contacted by telephone by someone requesting to conduct a green energy assessment in person.

This would be to qualify for a green energy rebate or Ontario Rebate Program for COVID-19 relief.

Once in the home, the representative uses high pressure sales tactics to have the homeowner purchase products and services in order to qualify for the rebate, police say.

The OEB says it doesn’t engage and isn’t involved in any type of sales activity.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in 2019 received 1,641 complaints related to service scams affecting 863 Ontario residents, for a loss of $2,878,898.

On March 1, 2018, Ontario banned unsolicited, door-to-door sales of certain household appliances to better protect consumers from aggressive and misleading contracting at home.

The new rules apply to air cleaners, air conditioners, air purifiers, duct cleaning services, furnaces, water filters, water heaters, water purifiers, water softeners, water treatment devices as well as bundles of these goods and services.

On January 1, 2017, Ontario banned energy retailers from signing up customers for an energy contract while at their homes to give consumers the ability to make choices about their energy supply at their own pace and with better information.

The OPP since October have received an increased number of complaints from homeowners who have been solicited by individuals claiming to be associated with the OEB.

Door‐to‐door scams continue to pose a threat to Ontario consumers and businesses. Consumers may find themselves in a situation where they purchase a product or sign up for a service contract they neither need nor want.

If you believe you have become a victim of fraud, contact your local police service and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 (toll-free) or report online at www.antifraudcentre.ca. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or report the incident online at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

 

Mom ‘n Pop stores in the area are getting dinged again.

Struggling small businesses in the community are following all health guidelines as they brace up for a second-wave COVID-19 lockdown and possibly closure.

The latest lockdown, which will begin on midnight December 26, will affect the entire province and will last for 28 days in southern Ontario and two weeks in the northern regions.

Many local businesses and agencies have laid off staff or cut hours to survive as many people stay at home due to COVID-19.

The parking lots of some of our malls as Cloverdale and Sherway Gardens show many empty parking spots as only curbside or pickup are available at some stores.

There were however constant lineups at Walmart and Costco, deemed essential merchandisers

At the same time the sidewalks are empty in Long Branch, New Toronto and Mimico as many small stores are forced to shut.

Under this lockdown, the provincial government will allow in-person shopping at supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies. The businesses must cap the number of customers to 50 per cent of approved capacity.

Discount and big-box businesses that sell groceries can operate, but capacity is limited to 25 per cent of the approved capacity “of the particular room.”

The lockdown will shut all non-essential businesses, ban indoor gatherings, close restaurant dining rooms, and see all schools move classes online for the first week of 2021.

Publicly-funded schools in southern Ontario will be closed for at least two weeks. Elementary students will take part in virtual learning until at least Jan. 11, while secondary students will learn remotely until Jan. 25.

Other retail businesses, hardware stores and department stores will only be allowed to open for curbside pickup and delivery. Customers will not be allowed inside to do in-person retail shopping.

Officials said the lockdown will be evaluated after 28 days to determine if it is safe to lift the restrictions.

Doctors warn that trips outside of the home should only be done for essential reasons as work, school, groceries, exercise, caring for vulnerable people. Social gatherings and organized indoor events are restricted except for people who live in the same home.

Indoor dining and outdoor at restaurants and bars are also prohibited. Night clubs and strip clubs are only permitted to open if they operate as a food or drink establishment, in which case they would only be allowed to provide takeout, pickup or delivery.

All indoor and outdoor sports and recreational fitness facilities will be closed, with exceptions for those being used by “high performance athletes”. Ski hills must closed. All locker rooms, change rooms and showers at clubhouses are closed.

Horse racing open for training only, no members of the public.

Businesses that produce, manufacture or distribute food and beverage, including agricultural products, may remain open. All construction activities and services will be allowed to continue.

Cannabis retail stores and garden centres can only open for curbside pickup or delivery.  Outdoor markets, including holiday-themed events, are closed unless they primarily sell food.

Weddings, funerals and other religious services limited to 10 people indoors, 10 people outdoors. Virtual and drive-in services, rites and ceremonies permitted.

Supply chains, including businesses that work in processing, packaging, warehousing, distribution, delivery, and maintenance can remain open.

Meeting and event spaces open only for operation of child care, court services, government sources, mental health and addiction support services, social services.

So are  rental and leasing services, including automobile, commercial and light industrial machinery or equipment.

 

A Brampton tow truck driver has been selected by the prestigious U.S. Carnegie Hero Fund Commission for saving the lives of three people injured in a ‘violent car crash’ seconds before the vehicle erupted in flames.

Harmanjeet Singh Gill, 20, was driving in August 2018, in Brampton when he saw a violent crash in which an SUV struck several vehicles and landed on its driver’s side a few feet from a house, according to Peel Regional Police.

“Large flames burned at the vehicle’s rear, and Gill responded to the scene,” according to police.

Gill extended his head and arms through the car’s sunroof and pulled one of the three men inside to safety.

“He returned to the vehicle and dragged a second man to safety,” the Commission was told.

They noted that Gill had problems removing a third man.

“With the help of a teen who also responded to the scene, Gill broke the sunroof to create a larger opening,” the body heard. “They then pulled the third man to safety.”

“The car was shortly engulfed in flames, which spread to another car and impinged on the house,” police said.

Peel Regional Police last week invited members of the public to celebrate the heroic and courageous efforts of the internationally-recognized driver.

His heroic actions was acknowledged by Peel Police and the Commission, which earned him the prestigious Carnegie Medal, which has been presented to heroes in the U.S. and Canada for more than 100 years.

Gill was among 17 Carnegie Medal recipients announced by the Commission on December 14.

“Harmanjeet did not hesitate,” Commission members said. “His selflessness and commitment to save the trapped men’s lives exude genuine empathy at humanity’s highest level.’

The fund was established by Pittsburgh steelmaker Andrew Carnegie who believed in ‘recognizing heroes decades before the disaster that served as the impetus for the creation for the Hero Fund.’

The fund was created in 1904 and recognizes heroes, who are selected by a 21-member commission, in the U.S. and Canada. All the winners committed extraordinary deeds, some rescued their elderly neighbours from blazing homes or others from horrific car accidents.

Those who are selected for recognition by the Commission are awarded the Carnegie Medal, and they, or their survivors, become eligible for financial considerations, including one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and continuing assistance.

To date, more than 10,000 medals have been awarded, the recipients selected from more than 100,000 nominees. About 20 percent of the Medals are awarded posthumously.

Members of a Mimico church have been braving the cold to hand out soup, bread, clothing and other supplies to help area residents in need.

Many of our local churches have been forced due to COVID-19 to cancel their Christmas Day meals that are usually attended by hundreds of families in need and those who are homeless.

Many of their children will not receive toys that are usually donated by members of the community and handed out at the events.

Iris Schweiger, president of the Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church, at 2379 Lake Shore Blvd. W. , and another member were out on Christmas Eve handing out hot soup, bread, fresh fruits, masks, hand sanitizers and other items to those in need.

Residents were saying hello and some came by with donations of items or change for a donation box.

Schweiger shows a nicely-decorated pine branch that was made by an 82-year-old member of her congregation “to cheer people up.”

“We are here to help everybody,” she says. “We also have clothing that is donated and free for women.”

She said hundreds of families are disappointed due to the cancellation of Christmas meals this year.

“People are disappointed but they know COVID-19 is a deadly pandemic,” Schweiger explains. “There is a lot of demand for our services.”

They are concerned about seniors in the area who cannot leave their homes due to the inclement weather or fears of contracting the virus.

“We are worried for the seniors and those who cannot leave their homes to pick up a soup,” says Karen, a church volunteer.

The churches, including the Wesley Mimico United Church, have packed dozens of food boxes that have been taken to the homes of area residents who may have mobility issues or fear the virus and have not left their homes for a long time.

A food bank in the Martin Luther church’s basement has posted a note on the front door advising regular users to call and they can have their food items delivered to their homes.

Officials of St. Margaret’s church, on Sixth Street, say they are disappointed to cancel their Christmas Day meal and toy giveaway for children.

The church normally attracts several hundred attendees who turn out for the meals, which are all made by volunteers using food donated by area companies.

By BILL ZUFELT

They say that every ship tells a story.

A Lakeview brewery is getting good reviews for a brew made in honour of a popular Long Branch ship named Defiance that plied the waters of Lake Ontario for 68-years as a stonehooker.

Stonehooker Brewing Company, at 866 Lakeshore Rd. E., in Lakeview, released the 7.3% alcohol content  brew for Christmas since the ship was made in Etobicoke by local craftsmen and sailed our waters for almost seven decades.

The schooner’s time on the water was more than double that of the nautical sailing ship with an average of 30-years, experts say.

This ship was built at the mouth of the Etobicoke Creek in 1845. One year after the tragic sinking of the Titanic, the Defiance succumbed to a wicked gale off the Scarborough Highlands, also known as the Bluffs, and went down in 1913. It is not known how many sailors died.

“Thanks to nearly seven decades of stone hooking ‘Dufferin shale’ from Lake Ontario aboard Etobicoke’s ‘Defiance,’ Toronto’s Foundation is as strong and vital today as it was well over a century ago,” says Bill Zufelt, Chair History and Cultural Committee Long Branch.

Zufelt says someone at Stonehooker read an article he wrote about Defiance and it inspired the brew.

Jack of all trades “ fisherman, sailor, carpenter, wharfinger and ship-owner “Boss Harris and his brothers, of Port Credit, capitalized on the Etobicoke Creek’s protective sandbar, and lagoon, extending westward toward Lake Ontario and started building ships including the Defiance.

This Etobicoke boat-builders peninsula would for almost three decades become an illustrious shipbuilding location, including many stonehookers, built by William Goldring and family, like the Betsey. 

At the time, Zufelt said the Etobicoke Creek was richly forested with red oak, maple, ash, elm, birch and spruce. A bounty of eastern pine, which was the first choice of The Royal Navy for their uniformly straightness and strength, was shaved and scaled to make perfect masts, spars and booms.

Giant red oaks were felled, axed and shaped to make iron sturdy ribs and hull planks, maple, elm were steamed to ad in the curving process to applied sections.

Blacksmiths forged and pounded on their anvils, all the necessary ships hardware, fasteners and sailing marine ware. The pungent smell of fresh pitch for waterproofing was made from melted resin pine resins mixed with charcoal, hovered over the bustling camp.

Based on the greenest of the oak planks, bags of pickling salt were packaged around crucial structural components of the ship to pre-age the woods for structural integrity.

According to the Great Lakes Marine History Registry the Defiance schooner weighed in at twenty-six gross tonnage and was the first of five Defiances to be built in the Great Lakes.

When the Defiance came into being, she was witness and service to the biggest changes to the northern shores of Lake Ontario in development, population, culture and economic prosperity to well over a half a century.

She faithfully sailed her part well until that fateful day in 1913.

The brewery is hoping area residents will treat themselves to a cold hearty Defiance toast and drink up some local history. You can obtain their beers at www.stonehooker.com or call 289-847-5000.

Dozens of volunteers from across our community are performing small tasks so everyone can have a more joyful Christmas and New Year.

At LAMP Community Health Centre, on Fifth St., volunteers were out delivering grocery hampers to those in need that included a turkey and ham.

Thanks to the Ontario Produce Marketing Association and F.E.E.D. Canada for making this dream of happy healthy family dinners a reality this holiday season.

Many residents were thankful and appreciative of the hampers in these challenging food-deprived times. Many of those in need have not wandered far from their homes due to COVID-19.

LAMP officials are thanking the Etobicoke Services for Seniors (ESS) for their help in delivering the food. A shout out also goes to super volunteers Dornel, Levi, Daniel and Remi for the tough work or unloading and distributing the food boxes to cars.

“Your generous gift of your time and strength made this project a huge success,” LAMP officials said. “So nice to see young people making a difference.”

Dozens of Christmas trees were given away at LAMP on December 22 thanks to Tyler, the owner of The Old Sod Pub and Brad, the owner of Two Men and A Truck Etobicoke, who volunteered to help families in need of a nice tree.

They donated White Spruce Christ Trees to people in need and added some tree holders to keep them healthy and watered.

They also delivered a number of trees to people who couldn’t pick them up.

It is days before Christmas and the community is finding out about the loss of Laura Secord, a premiere Canadian chocolate shop, which has been a fixture at Cloverdale Mall for 64 years.

Store officials have confirmed that the Laura Secord at Cloverdale Mall is now permanently closed.

A spokesman for the company said only one store is affected and there are no plans to shut other stores.

The popular store opened in 1956 and was the place to purchase chocolates and other confectionary at one time, in what seems like another era.

Many area residents say they purchased gifts and treats at the Cloverdale store and the staff will be greatly missed.

The store was named after Secord, who was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known for having walked 20 miles out of American-occupied territory in 1813 to warn British forces of an impending American attack.

She died in Chippawa, Niagara Falls, in October 1868, at the age of 93.

The news of Laura Secord’s closure had some reminiscing about the shop known for its green frosted mint chocolates and waffle ice cream cones dipped in chocolate.

“The most iconic store of Cloverdale Mall is now history,” one post said.

Other people said it was their favourite store back in the day.

The mall is going through a major transformation in which townhomes and condos are being proposed on some of the extensive property, in construction which will take a number of years.

“The mall will be different when condos are built south and west. A piece of history gone,” one person said.

 

 

By TOM GODFREY

It will be 39-years next year when 11 people were injured in a horrific car-bomb that exploded outside Litton Systems Canada, blowing out a 50-foot section of wall at the Rexdale plant that produced radar-evading guidance for the U.S. cruise missile system.

Some 550 kgs of dynamite was left in the back of a van outside the City View Dr. plant, that had been under protests by peace groups.

Three police officers, five Litton workers and three passing motorists were injured that October 1982 morning when a box containing the dynamite was detonated.

The sprawling plant made guidance components for the low-flying missiles.

Litton brass in the U.S. said there were warnings of a bombing that were sent to the company and police, though no one had taken responsibility. Members of Canadian disarmament groups, who were being prosecuted for trespassing demonstrations at the plant, disavowed and condemned the violence.

Toronto Police Insp. Gordon Fenton said three officers were dispatched around midnight to investigate a tip that a bomb was set to detonate at the factory, which has shifts working round the clock.

Fenton said officers spotted a van containing a box labeled ”Danger Explosives.” As they returned to their car to call for bomb experts, the device exploded with enough force to shatter windows at the Skyline Hotel, about half-mile away. The cost of damages was estimated as high as $50 million.

A security guard told police a woman had called with a bomb threat and he ordered the workers to leave but most of the staff were on a break in the commissary.

As they headed for the street, officers say they will never forget the sound of a ‘dynamite bomb.’

”We started running toward the exit when suddenly there was a bang and everything shattered,” said Leo Bailey, who was rescued from the rubble by firefighters.

The blast knocked out walls, shattered windows and snapped a gas main. Company officials alerted the 1,200 employees to stay home.

The explosion came hours after an appellate court in Toronto upheld a lower court ruling that five executives of Litton in Canada would not have to appear as witnesses in the case of 22 disarmament activists charged with trespassing during a demonstration.

Some group members had previously set dynamite to a B.C. power station, before driving to Litton Systems of Canada, at 25 City View Dr., to wreak more havoc.

As the dust settled, the RCMP, FBI and CIA were called to help solve the mystery.

It was learned that three members of the Direct Action “urban guerrilla” group acted upon “their wish to end the arms race” and filled a stolen pick-up truck with 550 kg (1,210 lb) of dynamite and drove from Vancouver to Toronto.

Although the militants had phoned to evacuate the building, the bomb was accidentally detonated several minutes before its announced deadline, injuring many people.

Litton Systems was an a radio-engineering firm in 1934, but was purchased by former Pentagon officials in 1956 and transformed into a military producer, building naval ships in private shipyards and installing private equipment including communications and navigation systems.

A number of people belonging to Direct Action were later rounded up after a lengthy investigation.

Brent Taylor, who was dubbed the group’s ‘intellectual leader’ was sentenced to nine years in jail, to be served concurrently with a 22-year sentence for conspiracy to rob an armored bank truck.

Ann Hansen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years for the Litton bombing, to be served concurrently with a life sentence for conspiracy to rob the bank truck and six years for the bombing of a B.C. power station and firebombing two pornography stores.

Gerry Hannah and Doug Stewart were sentenced to six and 10-years for Direct Action activities but not for the Litton bombing.

Most would be free by now, if they are still alive.

Looking for a free Christmas tree.

LAMP Community Health Centre is giving away free Christmas Trees thanks to a generous donation from the The Old Sod Pub and Two Men and a Truck.

If you need a tree (White Spruce) and don’t have one yet, and this would be a big help because of limited funds.

“What a lovely offer from these two community minded businesses,” LAMP officials said.

The trees are being given away at LAMP, at 185 Fifth Street, on Monday, December 21 and Tuesday, December 22.

There are are number of trees and some can be delivered to your home.

The Old Sod Pub, on Bloor St. W., was robbed of about $7,000 in Christmas tree earnings earlier this month by a man who smashed a glass door. A subsequent Go Fund Me campaign raised more than $10,000 from the community to help the bar with its expenses. That story was posted on this site earlier.

It is a great gesture that the owner of The Old Sod would donate the rest of his trees to the community.

Contact jasmind@lampchc.org or call 416-252-6471. One tree per family.